A teenage computer whizz from Aberdeen has averted a potential crisis at software giant Microsoft.

IT specialist Matt Thompson was barely out of college when he discovered a security glitch in Microsoft's Windows operating system. The 19-year-old informed the company and worked with them for six months to solve the problem. But all he received for helping protect Microsoft from hackers was a mention on its website.

Mr Thompson discovered a flaw in the company's Jet Database Engine while carrying out work for a client at the firm where he works, Aberdeen IT. The bug allowed an attacker to take complete control of an affected system, install programs, and view, change, or delete data. Mr Thompson said that he initially had difficulty convincing Microsoft it had a problem. He said: "At first I was put through to a load of different departments because they thought I was a home user with a problem.